Catalonia Trip in Spain

Catalonia is a fascinating province, hugely influenced by Spain’s second largest city, Barcelona, which offers your students a wonderful combination of culture, history, art, architecture and leisure.

Culture vultures will be more than satisfied with works of Gaudi, Dali and Miro amongst others, not to mention Las Ramblas. And for those wanting the perfect tour combining activities with culture, we offer a watersports programme at Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava. Our knowledgeable, experienced team will ensure a smooth and enjoyable stay.

Art Excursions

Barcelona

Possibly Barcelona’s most famous treasures are the works of the architect Gaudi, including the cathedral, La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell. Park Guell was commissioned by Eusebi Guell because he wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona's aristocracy. It is a strangely beautiful environment, which is undeniably artistically unique. If you're visiting the park by metro then be prepared for a 20 minute walk, the last 200 metres of which is up a steep hill. La Sagrada Familia is one of Gaudi's most famous buildings and it has been in construction since 1882 and is not expected to be completed for another 30 to 80 years. To a certain extent much of the work that has been carried out since his death in 1926, is interpretation of his plans and designs and many believe that had Gaudi been around today he would have changed an awful lot. When you go, you should be prepared to see a lot of construction work taking place, but this is in itself of interest.

The Picasso Museum was built at the express wish of the artist himself. In 1960, his secretary, Jaume Sabartes, proposed the idea to the City Council of Barcelona and by 1963, the museum had become a reality. It is situated in the gothic Palau Aguilar and has 39 of Picasso's works as part of its fixed exhibition. Picasso felt a strong affiliation with his city and began donating his art to it in 1919, making his love of Barcelona possibly one of his longest relationships. The museum website has an extensive list of resources for students aged 4 to 18.

www.bcn.cat/museupicasson/en

The Joan Miro Foundation, designed in 1975, has a prolific collection of art works by the artist; 11,000 pieces including 240 paintings, 175 sculptures, 9 textile pieces, 4 ceramic works and some 8,000 drawings. However, you do not have to go to the museum alone to get a taste of the legacy he left. Escorxador Park features one of his sculptures, "Woman and Bird."

www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org

The National Museum of Catalonian Art traces artistic progress in the Catalan province from the Romanesque period to the mid-twentieth century. Most of the work does in fact come from Catalan, but during the early Gothic period comparisons are made with art from other provenances. When it comes to the Renaissance and Baroque period the works cover more international ground, but by the end of the nineteenth century the work returns to a more pure Catalan interest.

www.mnac.es

Figueres

A day trip away from Barcelona will take you to the birthplace of Salvador Dali, where a museum has been dedicated to the artist. It is called the Dali Theatre Museum because it was originally built to be Figueres' main theatre, but due to a fire during the Spanish Civil War, it burned down leaving a rather ghostly and foreboding shell. In 1961, it was proposed to Salvador Dali that the space be transformed into a museum of his work, and Dali so liked the idea that he spent 10 years of his life dedicating himself to its development. Its peculiar status as the world's largest surrealist object has given rise to its popularity and the fun spirit of the place would make it a favourite among students.

www.salvador-dali.org

Cross Curriculum Excursions back to top

Barcelona

The Barri Gotic area, or Gothic quarter, is the first choice for many visitors to Barcelona as it is the cultural hub of the city with a vibrant night, and day, life. It used to be the Roman village and so has much in the way of historical architecture. In the heart of the district is the huge cathedral, which has a beautiful courtyard full of plants and geese! Aside from ambling through the tightly winding streets, there is plenty to do in the way of shopping from the very high end to the not too expensive as well.

The most famous street to walk down is undoubtedly, Las Ramblas. It is the Champs Elysees of Spain, but much more pedestrian friendly because of its wide, American boulevard, feel. Take a stroll, eat some ice-cream and get down to the sea front to do some shopping. Don't forget to look out for the Gaudi buildings as you go!

For the football fans among you, no trip to Barcelona is complete without a visit to the Nou Camp Stadium, which is the third largest in the world, with a capacity for 110,000 people. Take a tour of the players' dressing room, press conference area, VIP lounge and get the chance to sit in the players' benches and VIP seats to experience the best views of the stadium.

Barcelona's Montjuic hill is also worth a visit. Once upon a time it was home to Iberic Celts - that's several thousand years ago - and it was later used by Romans as a ceremonial place. More recently, the hill has been famous for the 1929 International Exhibition and the 1992 Olympics. For the 1929 International Exhibtion it was decided that a Spanish village would be built to show visitors a representative sample of Spanish architecture. It features 116 different buildings, in different styles, representing Spain's many regions. It features a large square, picturesque streets, a town hall, a church, a monastery, shops and residential buildings. During the Civil War it was used as an internment camp for prisoners. The Olympic stadium was also built on Montjuic hill; both the stadium and the Olympic Tower are well worth seeing.

Montserrat

Montserrat is situated on a mountain outside Barcelona, and the monastery of Montserrat, the crowning jewel of the town is at the top of the 4,000 foot mountain. It is home to 80 monks, and has existed at Monserrat since the 11th century, when apparently, the Abbot-Bishop Oliba received instructions from the Virgin Mary. In 1592 the Basilica was constructed, but in the late 18th century most of it was destroyed by Napoleonic armies. However, due to its popularity, it was quickly rebuilt. The reason it is such a sacred place is because in around 50AD, St. Luke was supposed to have carved a statue of the Black Virgin, where it was rediscovered in 880AD. Since then, it has been a popular place of pilgrimage for Christians across the world including several Popes. Apart from the spirituality of Montserrat, there are also some breathtaking views.

Gerona

Gerona is a Roman walled city in the north-east of Spain. The old quarter is located within the city walls, where there is a well known stretch of houses, built in the 19th century, which make up part of the city wall that was destroyed by Napoleonic forces in 1807. Due to its size, the city can be easily explored on foot . Also within the walls, are the remains of a Roman road that was built to connect Tarragona with Rome, and the Banys Arabs (Arab baths). These baths date back to the 12th century and have been carefully restored. The 12th century Cathedral, also within the city walls, is worth a visit; it is Gothic in style, except for the Western front, which is Baroque-Catalan. Look out for Carlomagno's marble throne and a tapestry dating back to the 11th century, called 'Creation.'

Poblet

Poblet is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason, it is one of Europe’s best preserved Cistercian monasteries, founded by Cistercian monks from France. It contains the pantheon of royal kings and queens of Catalan and Aragon whose tombs are, unusually, suspended.

Waterworld

Waterworld is a large water park with slides and pools, located near Gerona.

www.waterworld.es

Port Aventura

Port Aventura is a theme park near Salou, with rides, live entertainment and other amusements. It is open from March to January and is located about an hour and a half away from Barcelona.

www.portaventura.es

Aquopolis

Waterpark close to Salou.

www.aquopolis.es

Barcelona Aquarium

The Barcelona Aquarium is one of the world's largest aquariums and is definitely the most important one along the Mediterranean coastline. There are 35 tanks, 11,000 animals, an 80 metre long tunnel and 450 different species.

www.aquariumbcn.com

 

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